And She Remembered
by leiaswan
Summary: AU: Emma Swan and her son Henry are living in Tallahassee. One Day, a fairytale book appears and Henry remembers that they're both part of a long term curse. He tries to convince Emma to go back to Storybrooke to find the only one who can break the curse with her. Killian Jones.


Emma sat on the porch in front of her house. It was the first time she notices, how extremely big it actually was. Henry loved Tallahassee, of course. It was right beside the sea and just a few minutes away from the sheriff station. She smiled, grabbed the tip of her red pullover and plucked those annoying tiny pieces of lint out of it.

Her sight fell on the mesmerizing sunset at the end of the pond in front of her house. A cold breeze ensnared her and made her shiver. The words that Henry had said to her, swirled through her head.

 _"This is not real, Mom and you know it. What do I have to do to make you believe it? We need to go back to Storybrooke, Mom. We don't have much time."_

The only thing that let her doubt, were her memories of that place called Storybrooke. The problem was, she didn't have any but it sounded oddly familiar to her.

 _"Henry, this is nonsense. You need to go to bed, now."_

 _"Your family needs you, Mom. Storybrooke is not far from here. Please, just go there and let me show you!", his pleading sight and his cracking voice sounded undoubtedly real._

She shook her head and drew her pullover closer around her neck. With her fingers, she moved through the damp grass beneath their feet.

 _"What has gotten into you, Henry? This is not you. What you're saying is impossible. There was no curse or whatever. You really need to stop reading this fairytales."_

* * *

"Can we talk?", she asked silently. He nodded and put the fairytale book aside.

"I am sorry for not listening to you", Emma continued, "but I will now."

What changed her mind?, she thought.

She sat next to this familiar stranger who was supposed to be the one she has to talk to. But her heart led her to her son.

"Everything I told you is true, Mom. Look me in the eye and use your superpower. You know I am not lying."

"Just because you believe something is real, doesn't make it real."

He pushed the book closer to her thigh. She grabbed it and opened the first page of the book.

 _This is the story about a pirate and a princess_

Suddenly her heart began to pound. She knew that face on the front page. It was wrinkled, hardly visible. His beard framed the striking cheekbones. His blue eyes gleamed through the old paper and the black, ebony hair fell over his forehead.

"Where did you buy this book, Henry?"

"It appeared this morning at 8 AM. I know you remember too, Mom, please."

Her fingers traced the shattered image of the unknown man and the faded by light blonde woman who was holding his hand. The gaze of the man was merged with hers. His smile made background look radiant.

"That's you, Mom, and Killian. Killian Jones. Doesn't this name make you feel _anything_?"

Killian Jones.

 _There's not a day that will go by that I won't think of you_

Killian Jones?

She shook the thought, that felt like a memory, out of her mind. Her hand went over the back of her son. She stroked his hair and pinched his cheek.

"You're crazy you know that right?"

"Does that mean we'll go?"

"Just so you shut up after", she nodded.

What he did not know was that she did not only do it for him, but also to calm her own thoughts and worries.

Magic did not exist. She hoped that everything Henry said was nonsense, but he was right. Her superpowers never fail and he told the truth. Or at least he actually believed it. She didn't want Henry to be disappointed in her.

The drive to Maine took a whole day. They didn't exchange many words on this road trip. One time she asked him:

"So, this Killian Jones and I.. are close?"

"Very."

Okay, she thought, I will play this game now.

"And who exactly created this curse?"

"Rumplestilzkin"

Laughter could not be missed.

"And what does Mister Jones have to do with all of this? This fairytale book is about him and me. Why?"

"Because you love each other. And that's why we need to find him. Because True Loves Kiss can break any curse."

Emma's heart constricted itself. Love. Something she had not felt since Neal's disappearance.

"It's cute that you want to help me find a boyfriend, but couldn't you just put up an online dating profile or something?"

He grins and points to the direction of Maine.

"I won't just kiss a strange man just so you can satisfy your mind", she said and patted him on the shoulder.

"I saw your face when you looked at the picture. You know something is up."

There was no reason to disagree. Emma shrugged and fell silent.

"He just reminded me of someone."

Storybrooke looked deserted and gloomy, as if an apocalypse had wiped out the entire village. Not a soul wandering through the streets. The rain waterlogged the windows and left them with dew cover. The smell of forest and salt came through her nose. A well-known odor. The sign of a café flickered in the moonlight.

"Do you hear that?", Henry tore her out of her thoughts.

The dull, scratchy scream of a man echoed through the streets. The painful scream numbed her body. The weeping whining hissed through her ears and she slowly followed the sounds. She had heard that voice before, the pleading, pleading voice.

 _Don't do this, Swan, please._

Another memory echoed through her head. That could not be true. None of this was true. Her feet carried her to an old library. She opened the door and the screams grew louder. Her hands began to tickle. Her arms were heavy. She was afraid of what was behind this old, rusty door. Or rather, who.

What if Henry was right?

The voice trailed off. Loud, exhausted breathing and a heavy body that flopped on the floor. She slowly opened the door and stared into the cold darkness. At the end of the room she notices a silhouette. The man tried to rattle, but the chains held him back. He coughed loudly and let himself fall forward. Emma jumped back and leaned against the wall quickly. She petrified and knelt down slowly, to take a look at his face.

 _Oh please, you couldn't handle it_

 _Perhaps you're the one who couldn't handle it._

 _His lips fused with her and the way he dug his hand roughly through her thick hair. As his body pressed against hers and for a moment, the time stood still._

The man lifted his head and his desperate look changed to a surprised and relieved expression. He scrambled to his knees and she looked in his eyes. This blue, sea-blue eyes she saw in Henrys book. She notices his stubble, his messy, black hair and his scar. His mouth opened, but his words fell silent at the same time with their thoughts.

She took a step closer.

"Swan", he whispered.

and she remembered.


End file.
